The Victoria & Albert Museum, one of London’s most prestigious museums, is getting set to host an exhibition titled Fashioned from Nature, which will “trace the complex relationship between fashion and the natural world” from the 1600s to present day.

Running from April 21, 2018 to January 27, 2019, the exhibition will explore how designers draw inspiration from nature and highlight those that have championed ethically conscious fashion. The exhibition is supposed to examine the fashion industry’s impact on the environment and the influence of changing attitudes on the production process. The exhibit will also educate patrons on natural fibers and their uses over the years, offering solutions not just highlighting problems.

Having had success with fashion-themed exhibitions in the past (Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion; Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear, Club to Catwalk: London Fashion in the 1980s), we are excited to see what the museum is able to offer this time. We believe this is an exceptional platform to raise awareness and educate people on the power of sustainable fashion.

“Runway trends are many things: inspirational and directional, yes, but rarely work-friendly. A bit of clever styling is transformative though, making even the most out-there looks suitable for a conference room or meeting with clients. Here, subdued and statement takes on five of the trends we’re most excited for this fall (because saving fashion for the weekend is no way to live).”

Do you know where your clothes come from? The apparel industry is one of the biggest violators of both the environment and human rights. In this compelling and information-packed talk, co-founder of Zady Maxine Bédat shows how you can take back the power of your wardrobe, and feel better in (and better about) your clothes.

An expose on the fashion industry written by the Observer’s ‘Ethical Living’ columnist Lucy Siegle, examining the inhumane and environmentally devastating story behind the clothes we so casually buy and wear.

mind·ful·ness (ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/) noun. 1. the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something; Their mindfulness of the impact of the fashion industry on the environment made them think twice about purchasing fast fashion garments.

To be mindful is to be fully aware of what is happening around you – a true challenge in our digital, touch-screen, high-frequency, instant response-based world. Our mind is focused on dozens of things at once, our bodies stressed by the challenges of daily life, our life comprised of multi-tasking and achieving our goals. To counteract this, a common meditation technique is to practice mindfulness – “the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us” (According to mindful.org).

The idea is based on Buddhist philosophy and religion, where mindfulness is an approach to work towards the state of Enlightenment.

Why be mindful? It is said to reduce stress, fight depression (increase positive emotions), increase focus and train our brain in areas that impact learning, memory, emotion regulation, empathy. The impacts of this include making the practitioner able to perform tasks better, while helping them better understand both themselves and those around them. Many studies have even reported physical health benefits (i.e. boosting immune systems), in addition to those related to mental health. It is a simple and often quick way (your meditation need only be a few minutes a day) to give some pause to our constantly fluctuating day.

As LifeHacker.com puts it, “Mindfulness is both a practice and a state of mind (for lack of a better word).” This means it can be practiced anywhere (seated, walking standing, moving, during yoga or other exercise and even lying down) and at any point in the day. Per mindful.org: “Anyone can do it. Mindfulness practice cultivates universal human qualities and does not require anyone to change their beliefs. Everyone can benefit and it’s easy to learn.

It’s a way of living.” That being said, a quick Google search helps identify many websites with recommended techniques on how to engage in mindfulness. There are even apps that send you reminders, such as Breathe on the Apple Watch that enables users to stop and focus on breathing and mindfulness.

If mindfulness is both a practice AND a state of mind – a way of living – then perhaps it is a mindset we can embed into other aspects of our life, such as how we decide what we wear. “The quality or state of being conscious or aware of something” very much applies to the decision that is made when one choose to buy ethical fashion. By being mindful enough to realize the impact that our garments and accessories have on the planet and on the producers of these items, we are applying this concept. This means reading labels, researching companies and methods of production and choosing to care for the well-being of those involved in the making of our fashion.

When we ask “Who made your clothes?” we are being conscious.

This concept is nothing new. Fashion and consciousness have been integrated for millennia –

the gradually shortening of skirt hems was women being mindful of what long skirts meant on their place in society,

the impeccable discipline around an army uniform is a soldiers method of inspiring focus and awareness,

the wearing of a hijab is a conscious way of an individual practicing their religion.

Fashion is closely tied to the collective consciousness of our society and each time society realizes something needs to change or evolve – fashion either leads or closely follows. As Luciana Zegheanu points out in an editorial piece on notjustalabel.com “Fashion itself is a reflection of social, economic, political and cultural changes. It expresses modernity, symbolising the spirit of the times.”

Therefore, I propose that ethically conscious-fashion is a way to practice mindfulness. It is a chance for us to stop in the moment and understand that what we do – from how we breathe to what we wear – has an impact on ourselves and on those around us. It is a chance for us to emphasize and make decisions that align with our values. As Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder of MBSR (mindfulness-based stress reduction), has said “The real meditation is how you live your life.”

The social and environmental issues within the fashion industry are well documented. The industry knows it needs to act responsibly and work sustainably for the sake of the millions of workers it employs, not to mention the future of the business itself. We tend to think that fashion is all about change, and yet we are one of the most change-resistant industries in the world.

Research shows that looks come first for ethical fashionistas, who tend to buy sustainable fashion. While consumers might have a clearer picture of the not-so-glamorous reality behind fashion production, especially after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, not much has changed in regard to their shopping habits. This reaction doesn’t really come as a surprise. Fashion and sustainable fashion must meet and mingle. They can no longer be two separate categories and movements. If ethical fashion wants to find a place, it’s going to have to look pretty similar, if not better, than its fast-fashion alternative.

Two key themes emerging in the retail market today are the need for more continual and impactful customer engagement and the increasing impact of sustainability and social-responsibility issues on business decision-making.

To more intimately and continually attract and engage customers, retailers are focusing on getting faster at developing product. Speed-to-market seems to be the No. 1 topic across all segments of the apparel/fashion world. While traditional new-product development cycles stretch out to 18 months—many retailers have already launched development of their collections for Spring 2018—retailers are finding that customers are gravitating toward stores, sites or apps that are always launching new, fresh, “of-the-moment” products.

What we need to do is encourage consumers to seek out sustainable products in the same way they seek out trendy new items. This is a challenge. Consider smokers and how often anti-smoking campaigns fail; when threatened with frightening consequences, we go into denial, continuing with our bad habits. The best way to promote behavior change is to make an alternative behavior seem more appealing; it’s got to be cool! Brands can no longer rely on having two big seasons a year and keeping their customers’ attention. New and frequent capsule collections have been proven to attract and keep consumer attention. Whether it’s the success of fast-fashion brands or the “see-now-buy-now” movement sweeping the luxury segment, traditional retail is threatened and slowly responding. Similarly, we need to respond to our sustainability challenges in ways that appeal to consumers.

A global perspective

As labor prices continue to explode in China, the No. 1 exporter of apparel to the U.S., and more Chinese manufacturers are finding that selling to the rapidly growing number of middle-class Chinese can be more lucrative than exporting, retailers have been forced to search for other sources of cheap labor. This has created a ripple effect of additional issues, from significant negative environmental impacts in countries with fewer rules and infrastructure capabilities than China to slave or child labor and numerous other human-rights issues.

Most major brands and retailers have joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition in recent years, and some of the largest formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. Both organizations are having a positive impact, but progress is slow and fraught with challenges. As a result, more and more retailers are deciding to source products closer to home even though the costs are higher. Greater supply-chain transparency is not only critical to a brand’s reputation and top of mind with more industry leadership, it is being demanded by more and more consumers.

This consumer demand may be an area where our industry can make headway with sustainability issues. Consumers are far more empowered today than ever before. The retailer once owned us, the consumer. If you wanted a piece of apparel, you had to go to a store when that store was open, look at the selection of merchandise that some merchant decided you would want to buy and, if you found something you liked, hopefully they had it in your size.

Technology has turned that around. Today, the consumer is the center of everything, and they hold control of the retailer in their hand or in their pocket. Many of our retail business models are broken today and some beyond repair. We take far too long to design and develop product, too long to source it and too long to ship it back in a boat from halfway around the world.

There are “disrupters” today who are finding different and better ways to serve the customer. They are developing product “virtually” in 3-D to cut time to market, they are sourcing locally, and they are personalizing product in ways that most retailers could not imagine. New technologies—ranging from waterless dyeing to 3-D printing and supply-chain mapping tools—have the potential to help fashion make smarter sustainable choices. But technology without people and a plan will get us nowhere fast.

The following article was posted by Shannon Whitehead on The Blog on HuffPost Style:

“”People aren’t going to care until it hurts them personally.”

That was the last comment in the closing discussion of The True Cost movie screening I co-hosted in Boston this summer.

The documentary has been sweeping film festivals and fashion media across the world with a no-holds-bar narrative of fashion’s effect on people and planet.

As I sat in the audience that night, surrounded by 100+ students, designers, entrepreneurs, mechanical engineers and concerned consumers, I could see and hear the emotions around me.

There’s something about watching a female garment worker being beaten with a club on the streets of Phnom Penh that can really grip you.

As strong as the emotions were, though, some of the most insightful comments in the post-discussion focused on how we will respond now that we’ve seen the footage and the movie is no longer playing in front of our eyes.

“We’re so detached,” one audience member said. “It’s just so hard to care about people on the other side of the world who you don’t know. Especially when there are so many other problems in the world.”

This sentiment resonates with many consumers: When there is so much to fight for in this world, how do you choose your battles?

When you’re the mom in Missouri with four mouths to feed and the cheapest store is a Wal-Mart, how do you say ‘no’ to the five dollar t-shirts that your kids will grow out of in a few months?

When you’re the university student drowning in debt, how do you make ethical fashion a part of your lifestyle?

In an ideal world, the industry execs profiting off of cheap labor would choose to change things on their own. Then consumers wouldn’t have to make a choice — it would either be ethically-made or not made at all.

But that’s not the reality we live in. The reality is that the fashion industry is a 3 trillion dollar a year business and only two percent of apparel companies source from suppliers that pay their workers a fair and living wage.

The reality is that industry giants can claim negligence because they don’t technically “own” their factories and thus don’t have to take responsibility for fair compensation.

The reality is that until consumers start making demands and asking for change, the fashion industry has no reason to clean up its act.

We’ve heard all of this before. It’s a classic chicken and the egg. A vicious cycle of rock bottom prices and consumer expectation that it should be this way. We expect the five dollar t-shirt — I’d even go so far to say, we feel entitled to it.

And that’s where the root of the problem lies. On the surface, the issues are obvious to us: pay the workers a better wage, change the supply chain, improve working conditions.

“…But I still want clothing to be cheap.”

We deflect the responsibility with the same negligence that fast fashion shareholders deflect it.

There’s nothing I can do as one person. The problem is too great to solve. The issues are too complicated. There is someone more qualified to tackle this. There are only so many hours in a day…

Why should the medical student in Boston care about the garment worker in Bangladesh?

Maybe the answer lies in actually remembering, as True Cost director Andrew Morgan says, that there are people behind the clothes we wear.

Maybe if we saw that with a different stroke of luck in the gene pool, it could be us in front of that sewing machine — we wouldn’t be so apathetic.

I don’t have the answer. Or a solution. The best I can do is lead by example and encourage others to do the same.

The best you can do is to start asking questions, educating yourself, sparking non-judgmental conversations with your friends while doing whatever you can to shine light on yet another fundamental flaw in our society —

That when it comes to the bottom line, the underdog never wins.—

If you haven’t seen The True Cost documentary yet it’s streaming on Netflix for free right now.”

A recent article published on CNN.com talks about the high cost we pay for a large majority of the clothing we purchase that is “cheap, trendy, poorly made and assembled in low-wage factories in other countries”

With many North Americas joining the movement to buy local, eat organic, reuse, it is a bit of a paradox that the clothing we own rarely fits this sustainable lifestyle. With a tendency for fashion trends to turnover at a rapid pace, clothing has almost become a disposable good. We buy large amounts of clothing that we wear only once or twice, with no concern for the quality of those goods. We want the latest look at affordable prices.

According to the article: “There are more than 80 billion garments produced around the world today, and according to a study by the UK’s Cambridge University, the industry is creating 70 million tons of waste water as of 2006 in the UK alone.” The fashion industry has a huge environmental impact, not to mention the social impact it has on the lives of the workers that produce these products.

While the author of this article argues that locally made fashion is a possible solution to this issue. I think that our solution, the concept of working with artisans in countries that are already large producers of such products, is as sustainable, if not more beneficial. This solution allows us to rethink the materials we use in the fashion products we buy and sell, the sources they come from, and they methods used to produce them.

Some other cool ideas the article presented were:

Some retailers are now accepting returns for worn products (which they then resells as a used product)

Consumers taking more responsibility in repairing and caring for their clothes

Clothing swaps and refashioning old trends to become new looks

Shopping less but spending that money on quality, sustainable products

Most importantly, ethically made products need to provide options that cater to both the mainstream market that craves affordable designs and the luxury market that wants quality. Our collections aim to meet this demand through a wide range of designs at affordable products.

Argentina is the home of the Sustainable Textile Centre and the Centre for Studies of Sustainable Luxury. Founder Miguel Angel Gardetti explains his work to help luxury brands become more sustainable, whilst still achieving commercial success in this article:

“Within this framework, the Foundation set up the Sustainable Textile Centre and the Centre for Studies of Sustainable Luxury in order to provide these sectors, including the fashion industry, with a broader outlook. The intention is to ensure that social and environmental issues are fully integrated into the decision making process by correctly assessing the sustainability challenges.”

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The Bay & Harbour Blog

Bay & Harbour is the brainchild of a Toronto-based mother/daughter team with an eye for trend-setting, unique and high-quality fashion & lifestyle products.

The pair is inspired by different cultures, handicraft techniques, discrete designs, and fashion trends from their travels around the world. Bay & Harbour as their outlet to share that love of design with others.

The Bay & Harbour collections feature a variety of accessories & lifestyle products for both men & women.

The co-founders are passionate about fashion with a cause. Many of the Bay & Harbour collections also include pieces that are sustainable and / or ethically made.